After those who believed in the words of Alma(2) and Amulek were cast out, a horrific event occurs.
8 And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and they also brought forth their records which contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned and destroyed by fire.
9 And it came to pass that they took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire.
10 And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.
11 But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.
12 Now Amulek said unto Alma: Behold, perhaps they will burn us also.
13 And Alma said: Be it according to the will of the Lord. But, behold, our work is not finished; therefore they burn us not.
Alma 14:8–13 (Emphasis mine)
What is it about the wicked that causes them to perform such evil and horrendous deeds? Here we see innocent women and children die a painful death because of their beliefs. They’ve broken no laws. They’ve done nothing wrong. They just have the audacity to believe things that other don’t. Yet, the wicked kill them.
Sadly, we see this in our world today. We see wicked men and women performing similar deeds (while not burning them alive, their actions still result in the deaths of innocents). Why does the Lord allow this to happen?
Alma(2) makes it clear. In verse 11 he says: “…he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.”
Alma(2) makes it clear. In verse 11 he says: “…he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.”
They have their free agency. They can choose wicked and appalling acts like this. The day will come when their victims will stand as a witness against them. They must stand before God and answer for their actions. When that day comes, they will be cast off and condemned to be “encircled with the pains of hell.” (verse 6) Justice will eventually be done.
Hugh Nibley commented:
“Alma and Amulek had witnessed that [burning of heretics], that horrible thing which I assure you is quite routine in religious history. Irony, isn't it? They are all religious, these [burning of heretics]—the burning of women and children and books in big piles. It has happened not once but hundreds of times...
“The hardest test of all is holding back. It's not blowing up or doing violence. This is the test to which they are being subjected now in any action... Alma is being tested here to the breaking point…” [1] (Emphasis mine)
Thomas Valletta points out the consequences of this criminal act.
“Prior to the final Lamanite invasion that completely destroyed the city, the wicked had turned against even their own blood by ‘cast[ing] into the fire" their innocent wives and children who had "believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God’ (Alma 14:8). The consequences of following the order of Nehor were that ‘every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness’ (Alma 16:9).” [2] (Emphasis mine)
14 Now it came to pass that when the bodies of those who had been cast into the fire were consumed, and also the records which were cast in with them, the chief judge of the land came and stood before Alma and Amulek, as they were bound; and he smote them with his hand upon their cheeks, and said unto them: After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people, that they shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone?
15 Behold, ye see that ye had not power to save those who had been cast into the fire; neither has God saved them because they were of thy faith. And the judge smote them again upon their cheeks, and asked: What say ye for yourselves?
16 Now this judge was after the order and faith of Nehor, who slew Gideon.
17 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek answered him nothing; and he smote them again, and delivered them to the officers to be cast into prison.
Alma 14:14-17 (Emphasis mine)
The fires had barely gone out and we see the chief judge assaulting Alma(2) and Amulek. Are you still going to preach to this people after you’ve seen what we’ve done and we will do again? Neither you nor God has the power to save just because they were of your faith. What do you have to say in your defense? While the questioning was continuing, the chief judge physically assaulted them over and over again. While his purpose, no doubt, was to humiliate them, he was just adding to the eternal charges against himself and his people.
Alma(2) and Amulek gave the most appropriate response. It was quiet contempt. As Christ would refuse to answer when before Pilate (see John 18 for one account), so they stood quiet and refused to answer the chief judge. Off to prison they went.
We’ll conclude with Hugh Nibley’s observations.
“The judge said, ‘Behold, ye see that ye had not power to save those who had been cast into the fire; neither has God saved them because they were of thy faith.’ You saw what happened, etc. This judge was after the manner of Nehor. Notice, the [order of] Nehors is a permanent establishment which begins way back in the first chapter of Alma…
“This is religious persecution by the establishment. The burning was [a sentence to death by fire]. But they answered nothing, and that's infuriating … Remember, they mocked Jesus for a long time. The New Testament tells us that they made mockery of him and the gospel…” [3] (Emphasis mine)
[1] Lecture 50: Alma 14-17, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 5, 2011.
[2] Conflicting Orders: Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah, Thomas R. Valletta, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 5, 2011.
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